Yielding reed mechanism



July zo, 1937".

C.' D. BROWN Y IELDIN& REED MECHANISM Filed oct. 22; 193e i INVENTOR. C'A/SL D. BROWN.

wm fl@ i ATTORNEY.

Parenteel July 20, 1937 PATENT @liilQE YIELDNG REED MECHANISM Carl D. Brown, licpedale, Mass., assigner to Draper Corporation, Hopedale, Mass., a corporai-ion of Maine Application October 22, i936, Serial No. 107,049

14 Claims.

The present invention pertains to looms and more particularly to yielding reed mechanisms for shuttle looms.

In a looml of the type to which my invention pertains, the reed is so mounted on the reciprocating lay as to be capable of rearward movement relative thereto. Reed controlling instrumentalities permit the reed to yield rearwardly when the lay is forward and the reed is in contact with the fell of the cloth, but tend to hold the reed in its forward position when the lay is back from the fell and the shuttle is in flight. Under some conditions, it is necessary to provide greater resistance to rearward yielding of the reed when the lay is back than when it is forward, and instrumentalities intended to accomplish that result have been proposed heretofore. However, I nd that such prior reed controlling instrumentalities are unsatisfactory in that, for example, they employ springs which are compressed or stretched a considerable distance each pick of the loom and which therefore break rather frequently, or they are so constructed as to require the use of large and cumbersome parts or parts which are subject to excessive wear.

It is accordingly an. object of the present invention to provide, in a loom having a reciprocating lay and yielding reed Ias aforesaid, reed controlling instrumentalities which shall provide greater resistance to the rearward yielding of the reed when the lay is back than when the lay is in its forward position, and which instrumentalities shall not embody the above-mentioned, and other, objectionable features.A

The foregoing and other objects ymay be conveniently accomplished by the construction illustrated on the accompanying drawings, which construction comprises the preferred embodiment of my invention. Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in cross-section taken approximately on line l-l of Fig. 3, showing the position of. the parts when the lay is back from its forwardmost position;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the position of the parts when the lay is in its forward position;

Fig. 3 is a view in rear elevation of a part of the lay and the reed and reed controlling instrumentalities; and

Fig. 4 is a view in front elevation of the mechanism shown on Fig. 3.

The drawings show only as much of the loom as is necessary to a complete understanding of the present invention, the parts of thev loom not shown being of any suitable usual construction. Of the conventional parts of the loom, there is shown the breast beam l which is a fixed part of the frame located at the front of the loom. There is also shown the lay assembly, hereinafter called the lay, which comprises lay swords 2 carrying a lay beam 3, shuttle boxes, as il, and a reed 5. The lay reciprocates toward and from the front of the loom, which is toward and from the breast beam l, in the usual manner. The warp sheet W feeds forwardly through the reed and as the picks of filling thread are left by the shuttle (not shown) they are beaten into the fell F of the cloth C by the reed.

The reed 5 is mounted on the reciprocating lay but is capable of rearward movement relative thereto. To this end, the reed may be mounted in a movable reed frame. In the embodiment shown on the drawings, the reed frame consists of a hand rail ii, a bottom rail 'l and end brackets 3 connecting the hand rail and bottom rail, the reed frame being pivoted on horizontal studs or bolts carried by the swords materially above the plane of the cloth C. My invention particularly relates to the means for yieldingly resisting relative rearward movement of such a reed, or reed frame, when the lay is in its forward position and for firmly holding the reed against such rearward movement while the lay is back and the shuttle is in flight.

The reed controlling instrumentalities shown u on the drawings comprise oppositely acting spring means exerting a net force on the reed frame which is suflicient to prevent rearward movement of the reed when the lay is back, but one of which means is intermittently actuated to temporarily decrease the net resistance to rearward movement of the reed when the lay is in its forward position. More specifically, two separate ysprings or sets of springs act in a direction to resist rearward movement of the reed, thus providing a strong resistance to reed movement. One set of such springs acts through bolts which are directly connected with the reed frame, while the other set of such springs acts through a f movable element which engages thereed frame. The opposing spring, or springs, acts on the movable element only, such spring having little or no force when the lay is back but being stressed,

to thereby partially or wholly relieve the reed frame of the pressure of the movable element, when the lay is in its forward position.

Of the bolts above referred to, the drawings show only one bolt l@ with a coiled spring il surrounding the same. The bolt I extends hori- CFI zontally through a hole in the lay beam, the head of the bolt engaging a plate I2 on the bottom rail l of the reed frame. The spring II is compressed between the lay beam and adjusting nuts I3 on the forward end of the bolt. The spring and nut thus act on the reed frame in a directionv to resist rearward movement of the latter and the resisting force may be adjusted by means of the nuts I3. A plurality of similar springs and bolts, spaced at intervals along the lay, may be provided if so desired. While, as will become apparent, these springs and bolts may be omitted under some circumstances, I prefer to use them because by engaging the reed frame between the ends thereof they reinforce the reed against bending. Also, the adjusting nuts I3, in conjunction with other adjusting means to be described, provide for adaptation of the mechanism to the weaving of a wide variety of fabrics.

The springs I! just described may be designed to provide enough, or less than enough, resistance to rearward yielding of the reed to properly beat the picks of lling into the fell of the cloth while still permitting the reed to yield rearwardly to compensate for irregularities in the filling or in the position of the fell. The resistance provided by the springs i! is thus materially less than is required to hold the reed firmly in place when the lay is back and the shuttle is in night. The spring means acting to oppose rearward movement of the reed accordingly includes not only the springs i I, if such are provided, but also springs such as the coiled spring i4 which preferably acts on the reed frame through the medium of a member I movably mounted on the lay.

In the embodiment shown on the drawings, the spring is is carried by the lay, it being conveniently mounted on a rod I6 which is supported by a bracket Il' on the lay sword 2. The rod may also be partially supported by the member I, as shown. The member i5 is in the form of a lever which is pivoted to the lay sword at I8. Duplicate parts, not shown, are provided at the other side of the loom. The spring III is compressed between the bracket I'I and the lower arm of the lever I5 and the upper arm of the latter engages behind the reed frame. As shown, the upper arm of the lever contacts a projection I9 formed on the end bracket B of the reed frame. The springs M being quite strong, I have thus provided means capable of holding the reed firmly in place when the lay is back and the shuttle is in flight. The springs I4 and l I, being carried by the lay, are not required to stretch or compress to accommodate the reciprocating movement of the lay, and are thus under substantially constant tension whereby spring breakage is materially reduced.

The above mentioned spring means which opposes the action of the spring means above described in detail includes, in the embodiment shown, a coiled compression spring 2t which is intermittently stressed, to temporarily decrease the net resistance to rearward movement of the reed each time the lay approaches its forward position. The spring 2@ surrounds an actuating element which may be comprised of a rod 2I slidably mounted on the lay. The forward end of this rod is guided by a bracket 22 on the lay beam 3 while the rearward end thereof is guided by a bearing in the lever I5. A collar 23 is adjustably secured to the rod and engages the spring 20 to compress the latter when the rod is moved rearwardly. The rod 2l is normally engage a head 25 on the rod slightly before the l lay has reached its. extreme forward position. When the bunter 24 is engaged by the head 25 the rod 2I is prevented from continuing its iorward movement with the lay and the rod therefore may be said to move rearwardly relative to the lay. This rearward movement compresses the spring 20 and thus causes the latter to yieldingly urge the lever I5 in a direction away from the reed frame. The spring 20 and its actuating parts are duplicated at the other side of the loom,

the duplicate parts being not shown.

It will be apparent that, according to the proportions of the various parts and the position of the adjustable collar 23, the spring may or may not be under stress when the rod 2i is in its extreme forward position, Fig. l. I prefer that the spring 2U be slightly stressed, i. e., compressed, when the rod is in such forward position, although thisv is not of any very great importance. panded is much weaker than the spring l.

It will likewise be apparent that the effect or the spring 20 on the lever I5, when the rod 2l is moved rearwardly by the bunter, will vary according to whether, at such times, the spring 93 5" is stronger or weaker than the spring ifi. Preferably, the nuts I3 are adjusted so that the springs II do not provide enough force to properly beat in the filling, and the collars 23 are adjusted so that when the lay is in its forward position the springs 2 do not quite counteract the action of the springs I4, the latter then assisting the springs I I to beat in the lling. However,

the invention contemplates adjustment of the collar 23, or the changing oi spring 23B, to enable the latter to move the lever I5 out of engagement with the reed frame, if so desired, in which case the nuts I3 must be adjusted to increase the stress of the springs Ii. On the other hand, omission of the springs I i can be compensated for by proper adjustment of the collar 23 or by substitution of a stronger spring It.

It will'thus be seen that I have provided in the embodiment shown relatively strong spring means, comprising springs II and I4 and their i!" associated parts, for resisting rearward movement of the reed, and opposing spring means intermittently actuated to decrease the net resistance to rearward movement of the reed when the lay is in its forward position. Providing the desired variation in resistance to reed movement by oppositely acting spring means facilitates the provision of convenient adjusting means whereby the mechanism may be readily adapted to the weaving of a wide variety of fabrics. Furthermore, such oppositely acting spring means carried entlrely by the lay, and the purely intermittently operating means, may be readily designed so as to require only a very slight repeated stretching or compressing 4of the springs, thus contributing materially to the length of time that the springs will last. The particular embodiment described in detail is further characterized by extreme simplicty in construction and operation and by a very desirable compactness of construction.

In any event, the spring 2t when ex- 4first saidspring on said member, and means act- Having fully disclosed the lpreferred embodiment of my invention,-I claim: f i y l. In a loom, the combination of. the reciprocating lay, a reed mounted 'on the lay for rearward movement relative thereto, relatively strong spring means acting to resist said rearward movement of the reed, relatively weaker spring means mounted on the lay for bodily movement therewith and opposing saidv action of said strong springmeans, and means for temporarily decreasing the net resistance of said spring means to" said rearward movement of thereed each time the lay' moves to its forward position. Y

' 2. In a loom, the combination of the reciprocating lay, a reed mounted on the lay for rearward movement relative thereto, relatively strong spring means acting to resist said rearwardmovement of the reed, relatively weaker `spring means mountedon the lay for bodily movement therewith and opposing said action of said strong spring means, and means for temporarily imparting additional stress to said weaker spring means each time the lay moves to its forward position.

3. In a loom, the combination of the reciprocating lay, a reed mounted on the lay for rearward movement relative thereto, relatively strong spring means carried entirely by the lay and acting to resist said rearward movement of the reed, relatively weaker spring means carried by the lay and opposing said action of said strong spring means, and means for temporarily imparting additional stress to said weaker spring means each time the lay moves to its forward position.

4. In a loom, the combination of the reciprocating lay, a reed mounted on the lay for rearward movement relative thereto, constant-tension spring means normally acting to resist said rearward movement of the reed, relatively weaker spring means yieldingly opposing the action of the iirst said spring means, and means acting intermittently to temporarily impart additional stress to said weaker spring means each time the lay moves to its forward position.

5. In a loom, the combination of the reciprocating lay, a reed mounted on the lay for rearward movement relative thereto, relatively strong spring means carried by the lay and acting to resist said rearward movement of the reed, other spring means carried entirely by the lay and acting when stressed to yieldingly oppose the action of the rlrst said spring means, and means acting intermittently to temporarily stress said other spring means each time the lay moves to its forward position.

6. In a loom, the combination ofthe reciprocating lay, a reed mounted on thelay for rearward movement relative thereto, constant-tension spring means normally acting to resist said rearward movement of the reed, other spring means` mounted .on the lay for movement therewith, said other spring means acting when stressed to yieldingly oppose the action of the first said spring means, and means acting intermittently to stress said other spring means each time the lay moves to its forward position.

7. In a loom, the combination of the reciprocating lay, a reed frame mounted on the lay for rearward movement relative thereto, a reed in said reed frame, means including a spring and a member urged by said spring into engagement with said reed frame for resisting said rearward movement of the reed frame, another spring mounted on thev lay for movement therewith and acting when stressed to oppose the action of the ingintermittently to--temporarily stresssaid other spring each time the lay moves to its forward position. v

8. In a loom, the combination of the reciprocating lay, a reed frame mounted on the lay for rearward-movement relative thereto, a reed in said reed frame, spring means carried entirely by the lay and acting on said reed frame to yieldingly resist said rearward movement of the latter, a member movably mounted on-thev lay, spring means acting to yieldingly hold said member against ysaid reed frame to thereby further resist said rearward movement of the reed frame, other spring means acting when stressed to yieldingly urge said member away from said reed frame, and means acting intermittently to temporarily stress said other spring means each time the lay moves to its forward position.

9. In a loom, the combination of the reciprocating lay, a reed frame mounted on the lay for rearward movement relative thereto, a reed in said reed frame, spring means carried by the lay and acting on said reed frame to yieldingly resist said rearward movement or the latter, a member movably mounted on the lay, a relatively strong spring yieldingly urging said member against said reed frame to thereby further resist said rearward movement of the reed frame, arelatively weaker spring acting on said member in a direction to urge the latter away from said reed frame, and means acting intermittently to temporarily increase the force exerted by said weaker spring on said member each time the lay moves to its forward position.

10. In a loom, the combination of the reciprocating lay, a reed frame mounted on the lay for rearward movement relative thereto, a reed in said reed frame, spring means carried by the lay for yieldingly resisting said rearward movement of the reed frame, constant-tension spring means acting to further resist said rearward movement of the reed frame, and intermittently actuated means yieldingly opposing the action of said constant-tension means each time the lay moves to its forward position.

ll. In a loom, the combination of the reciprocating lay, a reed frame mounted on the lay for rearward movement relative thereto, a reed in said reed frame, means including a member movably mounted on the lay and a spring urging said member into engagement with said reed frame for resisting said rearward movement of the latter, a second spring acting ywhen stressed to urge said member away from said reed frame, an element movably mounted on the lay in engagement with said second spring, and a stationary bunter positioned to engage said element and move the same relative to the lay, to thereby stress said second spring, each time the lay moves to its forward position.

l2. In a loom, the combination of the reciprocating lay, a reed frame mounted on the lay for rearward movement relative thereto, a reed in said reed frame, a member pivotally mounted on the lay and engaging behind said reed frame, a relatively strong spring acting on said member in a direction to cause the latter to resist said rearward movement of said reed frame', a relatively weaker sprin-g carried entirely by the lay and acting on said member in a direction to urge the latter away from said reed frame, an element movably mounted on the lay for imparting additional stress to said weaker spring, and a stationary bunter positioned to engage and move said element, to thereby temporarily impart said additional stress to said weaker spring, each time the lay moves to its forward position.

13. In a loom, the combination of the reciprocating lay, a reed frame mounted on the lay for rearward movement relative thereto, a reed in said reed frame, spring means carried by the lay and yieldingly resisting said rearward movement of said reed frame, a spring-actuated lever pivotally mounted on the lay andrengaging behind said reed frame to further resist said rearward movement of the latter, an element movably mounted on the lay, a stationary bunter positioned to be en-gaged by said element and move the latter rearwardly relative to the lay each time the lay moves to its forward position, and a spring interposed between said element and said member for urging the latter in a direction away from said reed frame each time said element is moved as aforesaid.

14. In a loom, the combination of the reciproengaged by said rod for moving the latter rear--Y wardly relative to the lay as the latter moves to its forward position, a spring surrounding said rod and acting when stressed to urge said lever away from said reed frame, and a connection between said rod and the last said spring whereby the latter is stressed each time the rod is moved rearwardly as aforesaid.

CARL D. BROWN. 

